Italy Faces Backlash Over Release of Libyan War Crimes Suspect

The Italian government blames errors in the ICC arrest warrant for the release of Osama Elmasry Njeem, accused of war crimes, sparking political and international scrutiny.

• Osama Elmasry Njeem, a Libyan official accused of war crimes, was arrested in Italy but released due to discrepancies in the ICC arrest warrant.
• Italy’s Justice Minister Carlo Nordio criticized the warrant, citing contradictions in the timeline of alleged crimes and procedural errors in its transmission.
• The ICC later issued a corrected version of the warrant, but Njeem had already been repatriated to Libya on an Italian military plane.
• The release has led to political fallout in Italy, with opposition leaders accusing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government of damaging the country's credibility.
• Human rights groups and a South Sudanese migrant who alleges torture by Njeem have criticized Italy for failing to comply with its obligations as an ICC member state.

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Al Jazeera